Hand baseball Head Coach Travis LaPointe says that "it will take four players to replace one Reed Smith" and, with the many different hats the senior wore this spring, the skipper's statement seems more like fact than opinion.

After not having too much time at shortstop in his freshman and sophomore campaigns, Reed-a Class of 2014 graduate-stretched himself into other positions and that move paid off for his final season. While also in his second varsity stint as a starting pitcher, the shortstop and cleanup hitter saw games at second base, along with playing strong in center and right field, and batted to the tune of a .345 average with 16 RBI and 14 runs scored.

"It's just my willingness to play wherever the team needs me to help it. After my freshman and sophomore seasons, I knew I had to learn other positions," says Reed on his versatility. "Offensively, my key was just being part of an incredible lineup. We had so many strong hitters, and pitchers felt that they had to always throw strikes and then I knew they would put one out there."

Reed also enjoys manning the mound due to the fact that he is in total control of the outcomes of plays and even games, such as when he and the Tigers scored a season sweep of rival Guilford.

"I love pitching because I know the guys around me will play their hardest for me because I do the same for them. I also feel more in control with the ball, as well," Reed says. "My best game this year was against Guilford at West Haven [an 11-10 victory]. We were up eight runs going into the last inning, then they had the bases loaded with one out when I came into pitch. I was able to come in and get the last two outs. I also made a diving catch in the outfield that game, which is something I always wanted to do."

Not only due to Reed's multiple ways of contributing on the field, but also his qualities off of it, Coach LaPointe wants to deny the fact that his athlete has suited up his final time for Hand.

"He was the most versatile player that we had this year. He was our number one pitcher for most of the season, he was our shortstop, and even played some outfield," says LaPointe. "He was also our cleanup hitter all year and protected Scott Braren, which was huge. If teams pitched around Scott, they knew they had to deal with Reed. He was clutch and was a leader on our team all year. He is the kind of kid who everyone else looks up to and wants to be like. He earned so much respect from all of his coaches and peers because of the way he carries himself every single day. He never puts himself before the team. Personally, I am going to miss him so much and don't want to believe that he won't be back on the field next spring. He is an incredible young man."

Reed says that he set the tone in practice with pure heart and hustle while also reaping the benefits of playing among a starting nine that could tear the cover off the ball.

"I just tried to lead the team by trying my hardest all the time and going 100 percent in every game and practice," says Reed. "Hitting cleanup was awesome because, every time I was up, people were on. I tried to do my job to move guys over in any way and do the small things."

As he concludes a lengthy run of playing alongside familiar faces, Reed will certainly miss it, yet he holds no regrets and had nothing but good times at Hand-no matter where he stood on the diamond on a particular day.

"I've been playing with a lot of these guys since I was 10, plus Coach LaPointe is a great coach and even better person," says Reed, who thanks parents Tim and Anne, along with Tom Rispoli. "This team was like a family and we were so close to each other."